McGetchin crater formed in 2024, giving scientists a rare opportunity to examine how a major impact reshapes the lunar surface.
Scientists studying images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have identified a newly formed lunar crater measuring approximately 222 metres across and 43 metres deep.
Named McGetchin crater, the feature formed between 11 April and 22 May 2024. Findings announced in September 2026 describe the largest crater known to have both formed and been discovered during the spacecraft’s mission at the Moon.
Researchers identified the impact site by comparing images taken at different times. Changes in brightness revealed disturbed material, prompting closer observations with LRO’s high-resolution cameras. Subsequent images allowed the team to map the crater’s shape and examine the surrounding debris.
The discovery illustrates why repeated observations matter. A spacecraft does not have to witness a collision to reveal what happened: images of the same location before and after an impact can establish when the landscape changed.
The impact’s effects extended well beyond the crater’s rim. The camera team detected surface disturbances more than 100 kilometres away, providing evidence that material from a single collision can affect distant terrain. Researchers also found signs that the debris was deposited through a more complicated sequence than a single outward-moving blanket.
Thermal measurements revealed another striking feature. LRO’s Diviner instrument detected an area roughly 6.4 kilometres wide around the crater that was approximately 9°C cooler at night than its surroundings.
Researchers attribute this temperature difference to the impact loosening the lunar soil, known as regolith. The less densely packed material retains heat less effectively, causing it to cool more rapidly overnight.
Scientists estimate that a crater of this size forms somewhere on the Moon roughly once every 130 years. That is a statistical estimate, rather than a regular timetable for impacts. The crater honours lunar scientist Thomas McGetchin, whose work helped explain how impacts distribute excavated material.
For future lunar exploration, the findings have practical implications. The camera team says long-lived equipment must be designed to withstand fast-moving particles produced by distant impacts. Studying McGetchin could help improve the models engineers use when planning protective measures for lunar infrastructure.
The crater provides a valuable natural experiment: a fresh impact site with an observable history, allowing researchers to study how the Moon’s surface changes after a major collision.
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